Entries by Optimus1

Hiring a contractor or sub-contractor is often appealing to time-poor, cash-strapped small business owners. One big reason is that they take care of their own insurance (as opposed to the business owner having to provide coverage for them, as is the case with employees). But what if things aren’t quite that straightforward? Imagine the following […]

Business owners are required to navigate the complex world of workplace safety. Here’s some things you need to know to ensure your business is compliant. Injury in the workplace Illness or injury in the workplace is more common than you might think. No matter what industry you’re in, it’s an area of running a business […]

High risk of sub standard products In recent weeks the news media in Australia has reported many examples of inferior products being used in the building industry. The reports document the use of non-compliant products, such as cladding, cabling, wiring and lighting being installed in domestic and commercial buildings. Some suspect installations have resulted in […]

Offbeat, unusual claims that cross insurers desk‘s everyday! SPLASH OF PAINT Unrestrained items in the back of a vehicle can cause more damage than a collision. The claimant driver of a car had a minor collision resulting in tins of paint on the back seat moving freely around the inside of the vehicle, flipping their […]

Made redundant or fired? When contemplating firing an employee, proper process must be followed otherwise there is the real risk of the employer facing an unfair dismissal claim. To avoid the risk, some employers use ‘redundancy’ as an alternative to firing. It’s quicker, sounds nicer and is less painful to all concerned but often has […]

Differences in Liability When employers provide work experience to school age students and unemployed people there are distinct differences with liability issues between the two groups. With school students the employer is normally indemnified by the school that the student attends, together with relevant State Government authorities indemnification, in respect of any injury sustained by […]

New rating system launched Following the ‘Black Saturday’ and ‘Blue Mountains’ bushfires in recent years, the Australian Government in conjunction with local councils and fire services, has amended the requirements set out in Australian Standard 3959 – Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas. A Bushfire Attack Level (commonly known as BAL) Rating has now […]

An Expensive Oversight A small chocolatier based outside of Adelaide, Chocolate @ No. 5, has been forced to redesign its logo after multinational fashion giant Chanel claimed a trademark infringement of its perfume, Chanel No. 5. Chanel disputed the use of ‘No. 5’ in the chocolatier’s logo when the chocolatier recently applied for a trademark […]

How Do You Keep Them? The common misconception is that all you have to do is pay well. Many studies have found that this is simply not the case… in fact, it generally comes in around third or fourth on the employee list of ‘job satisfaction’ priorities. Paying a fair and reasonable salary is expected […]

Penalties to Hit Harder Recent changes to transport laws now hold more individuals and companies in the transport chain accountable for breaches. The Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) commenced in 2014 and applies in all States of Australia except Western Australia. The legislation applies to all vehicles that have a GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) or […]